Machine for handling bricks.



R. G. PBNFIELD. MACHINE r011 HANDLING BRICKS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 19, 1909.

976,394. Patented Nov. 22, 1910.-

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

R G PENFIELD MACHINE FOR HANDLING BRICKS. APPLIOATIOK FILED 11.19, 1909.

Patented Nov. 22, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

ATTORNEY PATENT OFFICE.

RAYMOND o. PENFIELD, on NEW YORK, N. Y.

MACHINE FQR HANDLING BRICKS.

Application filed January 19, 1909. Serial No. 473,067.

Specification of Letters Patent.

' Patented Nov. 22, 1910.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RAYMOND C. PEN- FIELD, a citizen of the UnitedStates of America, residing at New York city, in the county of New Yorkand State of New York,- have invented certain new and use fulImprovements in Machines for Handling Bricks, of which the following isa specification, reference being bad therein to the accompanyingdrawing.

This invention relates to a machine for handling bricks, the samebelonging to the general class wherein a lifting device in the generalform of a basket engages the base of a pile of bricks stacked up inconformity with a prearranged plan with uniform spaces between themembers of the basic layer, into which spaces lifting fingers orclamping devices may project. An example of a machine of this class isseenin the Letters Patent granted to William Henry Francis for a brickhandling machine, No. 859,445, dated July 9, 1907, and also in theco-pending application of Edward J. Fritsch for device for handlingbricks, filed October 15, 1908, Serial No. 457,840.

7 The special object of the present improvement is to so arrange theapplication of the suspension means at the top of the basket or framethat the machine itself may occupy a vertically disposed positionwhether loaded or unloaded, or whatever may be the 'vari-- ableness inthe size of the load. It is evident, of course, that in the use of amachine of this kind the results are not obtained unless the machine canbe kept vertical at all times both hwvhen it isempty and is beingmanipulated for the purpose of engagin the load, and also after it isloaded an when it is being transported from point to point with itsload.

The invention, therefore, consists essentially in a leverage device atthe top of the machine so constructed and arranged as to properlmaintain at all times the equilibrium o the machine both when loaded andunloaded, and also it comprises numerous details and peculiarities inthe construction, combination and arrangement of parts substantially' aswill be hereinafter described and claimed. g

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating my invention, Figure 1 is afront'eleva tionof the entire machine. Fig. '2 is a side elevation inpartial section. Fig. 3 isanen:

larged detail perspective view of the lever devices at the top of themachine.

Similar characters of reference designate correspondin parts throughoutthe. dlfferent figures 0 the drawing.

The general form of the frame. of a machine of the class to which thepresent invention relates embraces a vertically disposed structurehaving at the upper end a laterally turned or forwardlyprojectinghorizontal arm device which when the machine is in itsoperative l -position extends partly over the top of the ire-arrangedstack formation of bricks, and at the bottom of this vertical framethere is a series consist ing of a suitable number of clamps whichengage the stack of bricks near the base thereof. The lower portion ofsaid frame which carries the clamping devices has a general yoke-shapeso as to provide members which will embrace the ends and one of thelongitudinal sides of the stack formation of bricks, and when the stackis so engaged the clamping agencies will operate to hold the-frame andthe stack of bricks securely together. This general frame and theclamping mechanism may vary widely, but in every instance it isnecessary that the liftin crane or suspension means which is appliedtothe upper end of the machine and which usuall engages the latter byhaving some form 0 adjustment that the forwardly projecting upper armmust so lift the "machine as that the equilibrium thereof will bemaintained and the vertical portion of the frame kept at all times in asubstantially vertical position. There is a wide diversity in the formof the upper arm, it being sometimes rigid and sometimes pivotallyconnected, and my present invention relates particularly to a certainformof lever motion for said upper arm as I shall resentl specify. Thespecial mechanism i1 ustrate and described in this applicationwith whichthe top lever. motion is employed is the same as that foundin theapplication of Edward J Fritsch, hereinabove alluded to, Serial No.457,840, and reference is made to said application for a fullerdisclosure of the details of the machine than is given herein, althoughI 'believe that the description resented here is ample for a thorough unerstanding of the construction and operation. It must be kept-in mind,however, that this form of clamping mechanism and carrying frame theendof'the lever 4 so that 25,

Each carrying lever 4 passes frame is ada ted to be used with aProceeding now: to describe briefly the machine elements, it Willbe seenreferring to Fig. 2 that I have represented in dotted linesa stack ofbricks with which the handling machine is-designedto operate.

' The bricks of thestackare piledso that the members of thebasic layerare spaced apart a uniform distance. Into the several spacesthusleftbetween the members of the basic layer project a plurality oflifting arms '1. consisting of vertically arranged bars or plates whichare securely fastened to the base bar 2 of the main frame. Each of thelifting bars 1 is provided with a clamping plate 3- supported at itscenter on. said clamping lifting bar 1. through a recess or openinformed in the lifting bar 1, and the opposite end of the lever 4projects plate will lie alongside of the through the base bar 2 and isperforated to allow a long rod to passthrough it by which rod 21 numberof the clamp-operating levers 4 are moved in a manner to effect theclamping. Obviously the movement of the clamping plate 3 toward and awayfrom its companion 1 is for the purpose of clamping or tightly grippinga brick between it and the next adjacent 'fixed bar 1.

' The verticalframe of the machine to which belongs the base bar 2 thatcarries secured thereto the series of horizontal lifting arms 1 mayobviously vary widely in its con struction, but I may. say that itconsists essentially of two inclined bars 5,5 between which are twoparallel vertical bars 6, 6. The inclined bars 5 are bolted at theirlower ends tothe base bar 2, and at their upper ends to the parallelvertical bars 6. Said bars 6 are secured at their lower ends to a block-7 which is attached toor firmly connected with the base bar 2. Near thetop of the frame a pair of levers 8 are sup horizontal rods'14 and tendstoward the right of themachineported by a pivot bolt 9 which passesthrough the parallel vertical bars 6, and the ends of these levers 8 arepivoted by means of pins or bolts 10 to the upper ends of downwardlyextending thrust bars 11. The lower ends of the downwardly extendingthrust bars 11 are pivotally attached to the upper arms of bell cranklevers 12which are hung loosely upon a horizontal shaft 13 supported insuitable bearings in the base of the frame. The

arms of the two bell to the ends of long 15, one of-which exdownwardlyextending cranks 12 are pivote .Whose other end is pivoted at 22 toextremity of the link 18. The eye 23 is -cated link 18, and

the other toward the left, the two rods together running the entirelength or thereabout of the base bar 2 as seen in'Fig. 1.

These bars 14 and 15' are supported in the perforated ends of thehorizontal clamp-o5)- erating levers 4 to which allusion has alrea ybeenniade. On the rods 14 and 15 at intervals are collars-16 providedwith set screws to enable them to be adjustable and to be held securelyat anydesired point, and be tween these'adjustable collars and the endsof the levers 4 are inter osed springs '17 so that the levers 4 when virated are actuated yieldingly in consequence of the pressure of thespr1ngsl7 against them. It will be obvious that when the thrust bars 11act downwardly, the result will be to oscillate the bell cranks 12-ontheir supporting shaft 13 and move ,the rods 14 and 15 in oppositedirection, and this endwise movement will actuate the clamping platesbodily with reference to the 'liftin arms 1.

The ends of the parallel levers S opposite to the pivotal point 9 arepivoted to vertical links 18 by means of a pivot 19. The pivot 9 bymeans of which the levers 8 are pivoted to the upright parts 6 of themain frame is located a short distance below the extreme unper endsofthe bars 6,'and at said extreme upper ends is a pivot 20 for the lever21, the top preferably connected to the foregoing arrangement of leversby being held by the pivot 22 which connects lever 21 and link 18. Thatsection of the parallel vertical bars 6 which lies between the pivotalpoints 9 and 20, I designate by the'reference numeral 24, and may bereferred to as a link or rod section.

It is to be noted particularly that the quadrilateral or rhomboidalarrangement of links and levers which I have just been describing is notcorrectly described by the expression parallel motion, since the partsare not arran ed in the parallel manner-required by sue a term, theangles not being right angles strictly; but 'the motion is a levermotlon, and the effect thereof in properly u holding the frame whetherloaded or unloa ed is found in actual practice to be of a mostsuccessful character, Further describing these parts, 'it is to benoted. that the sections 24 are lon er than the oppositely lorthermorethat the horizontal levers 8 are shorter in length than the op ositelylocated lever 21. The section 24 an the link 18, though bothsubstantially vertical, are not therefore parallel, and

.the levers 8 and 21' though substantially horizontal are not strictly,s eaking parallel. This inequality in the length of the two verticalmembers, and also the inequality in the length of the horizontal membersof the quadrilateral lever motion results in en abling a generalvertical position of the main frame whether loaded or unloaded to bemaintained at all times when said foursided lever motion issupended bymeans of a liftin crane or other device applied at that en of thelever'motion farthest from the axis of the main frame. It is to beunderstood that in amachine of this character, the "forwardly projectingor outwardly turned upper end of the main frame which projects over thestack formation of bricks is susce tible of a great diversity ofconstruction in different forms of the machine, in

some being a rigid arm and in others being a movable device, and in thepresent case while it is a movable device as I have explained, thefour-sided character of the same consisting of the levers and links ofunequal length provides a means whereb the equi-' librium of the machineis uni ormly and properly controlled and regulated and the verticalcharacter of the main frame is sustained sufiiciently so thatthemanipulation of the frame in carrying out the work of the machine iseasily performed.

Referring to the quadrilateral arrangement of links and levers at thetop of the machine, .I desire to state that the top lever 21 ispreferably adjustable in length so as to accommodate changes in theaction of the levers, and in order to so make it adjustable in length Ipreferably form it in two parts as shown in the drawing, said two partsbeing slotted and engaging each other and held together by means of pinsor bolts 25. One section of the link 21 may be provided with a verticalslot as shown in Fig. 3, which receives the. end of the other section ofsaid link, or some other method of connecting the two parts may beemployed. By loosening and removing the bolts 25 and shifting thesections of the link 21 relatively to each other, the latter may belengthened or shortened as desired and the action of the leveragemechanism of which said link 21 forms a part correspondingly altered orchanged.

" Many changes in the precise construction, combination and arrangementof the various parts of the invention may be made without exceeding thescope of the appended claims, 1

and I reserve the liberty therefore of modifying the invention as theexigencies of the individual-application thereof may require. Havingthus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure byLet-- ters Patent, is: 1. A machine for handling bricks, comprisin avertically disposed frame, a horizontal y projecting pivoted frame atthe 11 upper end thereof consisting of four interplvoted members, 'towhich the lifting crane is adapted to be attached, and clam ing means atthe base of the frame actuate automatically by the initial liftingmovement of the pivoted upper frame.

2. A machine for handling bricks, comprising a vertically dis osedframe, a clamping mechanism at the lbwer end thereof for engaging astack of bricks set in a pre-arranged order, and a pivoted frame at theupper end ofthe main frame, said pivoted frame projecting horizontallyover the stack formation, and consisting of'four interpivoted members,those opposite to each other being of une ual length.

3. A ,machlne for handling bricks, comprising a main frame having abasal clamp,

suspension means to the end of said pivoted frame farthestfrom the mainframe, and

.means whereby. the motion of the pivoted frame communicated to theclamp-ing mechanism.

4. A machine for handling bricks, com

prising a verticall disposed frame, a series of clamping devices at thebase thereof adapted to enterthe spaces between the units of the basallayer of a stack formation of bricks, a pivoted frame consisting of twomembers of unequal length pivoted to the main frame and a third memberconnecting the outer end of saidtwo members, and of a length unequal tothe distancebetween the pivoted points on the main frame, suspensionmeans attached to the'outer end of said pivoted frame, and thrustconnections between the latter frame and the basal clamping mechanism.

5. A machine for handling bricks, comprising a mainframe having at. itsbase a yoke partially surrounding a stack formation of bricks, a clampfor connecting. the frame to the stack form'ation, and a pivoted frameat the upper end of the main frame for'keeping the machine in proper euilibrium when loaded and unloaded, sai pivoted frame consisting of fourmembers, those opposite to eachother -being of unequal length, and aconnection b'e'tween said oted frame and the clamping mechanism, allarranged so thatthe initial lifting movement actuates theclam piv-In'testimony'whereof aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

' RAYMOND C. PENFIELD. Witnesses: FRANK PAUL,

C. B. Scnnononn.

